Firestar of Shadowclan
by TigerShay
Summary: Book one. What if, Firestar went to Shadowclan instead of Thunderclan? What if Thunderclan was the enemy, and there was a different prophecy? My re-write of the warrior series.
1. Rusty, the Kittypet

**I've been thinking about writing this story for a while now, but it was today that I worked up the guts to actually do it. For this story, I've re-imagined Shadowclan, and changed some of the cats. I'm going to re-do the story book by book, and change some events around, but it will stay akin to the original story. So onwards, and let the story begin!**

**I DON'T OWN WARRIORS!**

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Book 1, chapter 1 - Rusty, The Kittypet

Rusty awoke with a start, his heart beating rapidly in his furry chest. He'd had _that_ dream again.

Calming down, he stretched out, opening his jaws aginst the uncomfortable heat of the kitchen. From his bed on the tiled floor, his sharp yet untrained eyes picked out the slightly open kitchen window. He needed to be outside on a night like this.

Using the soft light of the full moon as a guide, he padded over to the bottom of the counter and unsheathed his claws for the jump up. The counter was high, but it was no match for Rusty's powerful jumping ability. He landed softly, his claws clicking against the granite and his tail pointed outwards for balance. He nosed the window open a little more, just enough for his slender body to fit through.

The cold night air hit him hard after the warmth of the kitchen, making his senses recoil a little. Pausing to look around, Rusty made his way along the window sill and jumped to the fence. The light rain was amplifying the smells of the undergrowth, that had already grown stronger during the rich spring that they'd had.

The small ginger cat looked up to the moon, and the stars around it. Even with the light cloud cover, they still shone brightly. All of a sudden, Rusty's senses went into overdrive, and his attention subconsciously shifted to the forest beyond the fence. What was out there?

He paused for a moment, before stretching his claws out to their full length and arching his back. The damp grass cushioned the cat's agile landing, as be jumped to the ground. The bell on his collar rang out loudly as he did, and silently cursing it, Rusty stepped forward.

He stood for a few seconds, as a familiar scent came towards him. It was a comforting smell, one he had known all his life long. The bushes bordering the edge of the next garden over swished and rustled. A young black and white cat, slightly smaller and fatter then Rusty emerged from them, looking slightly sleepy.

"Where are you going, Rusty?" It meowed softly, but suspiciously.

"Nowhere, Smudge." The other cat replied, carefully ignoring the worry in his old friend's voice. If he knew that Rusty intended to go into the forest, he would surely panic and do something stupid to stop him.

"Don't go into the forest, Rusty! Didn't you listen to old Henry's storys?"

Too late, Smudge was already onto him. His eyes widened slightly, and the black patch of fur on his neck stood up with fear. He'd genuinely believed the lazy old cat who lived down the road from them, when he'd told them of fierce wildcats, who hunted house-cats for sport, and used their bones to make nests.

"I'll be fine! I just want to have a look, and I won't even see those silly made-up cats of Henry's."

Rusty finished his mew with a loud purr, practically radiating self-confidence. His charisma obviously convinced the other cat, as he gave a purry laugh and turned away to go back through the greenery to his home. Smudge loved his human family, and was happy with his lifestyle. Rusty however, secretly longed for freedom and a life beyond his garden.

He watched his friend leave, and waited until his heavy, ungracefull pawsteps faded out of hearing range. The forest seemed to whisper to Rusty, inviting him to come closer. He obliged, taking a step forwards,before slowly flattening himself against the ground. A shiver of excitement went down his spine, as he realised his chance.

The was a mouse sat under a bush not even three foxlenths away, it's eyes wide and its ears pricked. It looked relaxed, not aware of the predator watching it closely. Rusty exhaled quietly and focused. He could hear the tiny creature's heartbeat hammering away, and it made him feel determined to catch his first prey right here, right now.

Even though Rusty had never hunted like this before, and was not trained at all, he felt himself instantly fall into position and begin to stalk forwards, his steps light and his breathing lighter. He was only half a foxlenth away when the mouse tensed up. It dropped to all fours and stayed absolutely still, holding it's breath. The ginger cat prayed that his bell would not jingle again.

The cat waited a beat too long, and the mouse bolted away. Luck held Rusty in its favor however, and the mouse ran towards the fence, trapping itself. With a quick swipe, he tossed his prey into the air and then jumped to slam in onto the floor, killing it.

Rusty dipped his head to pick up the warm body of the mouse, but stopped, frozen with fear. There was something behind him, getting closer. He smelled cat, but it was unfamiliar and earthy. He swirled round, and leapt backwards just in time, as a furry shape ran out of the bush, claws out.

Using the momentum of the leap backwards, Rusty bolted along the fenceline, not risking jumping up as the other cat was hot on his heels. For a moment, his instincts shifted from flight, to fight and he stopped dead. The other cat, it's black pelt bristling, crashed right into him. The rolled, a yowling mass of fur, over and over, until another unfamiliar cat stepped in between them.

Rusty's attacker sensed the second cat before he did, and jumped back out of the way, staring menacingly. This allowed Rusty to get a better look at him. He had black fur, with silver stripes and a silver tail tip. His eyes were purple-blue, and shone brightly. Rusty was about to spring at him, when he too noticed the new cat. He was easily twice the age of the black cat, with long brown tabby fur. His eyes were a startling yellow, and were staring right at Rusty.

"Stand down, Dragonpaw. You have done well."

He spoke with a calm authority, his eyes never leaving Rusty. The black cat, Dragonpaw, shifted to a more relaxed stance behind the new cat. He shot Rusty an encouraging look, and then turned to her the other cat speak.

"I am Brokenstar, leader of Shadowclan. You are Rusty, of the twoleg place, correct?"

Rusty didn't speak, but nodded slightly. He assumed that a 'twoleg' was one of the humans that looked after the neighborhood cats. Brokenstar continued.

"You did well catching that mouse. You have raw skill and natural ability."

Dragonpaw nodded his agreement from behind Brokenstar, and turned to lick clean a gash on his shoulder. Rusty cringed, seeing he had hurt the other cat so badly.

"I knew you would be here today. Starclan sent an omen to me, telling me about you. Since then we have watched you sit on that fence, day after day, looking into our territory. I have decided. You are worthy to train with my clan as an apprentice. Will you join us, Rusty?"

Rusty gasped, his jaw hanging open. Join the wildcats? This could be his biggest dream come true! But was he ready for it? He had so many questions, but was unable to say a word. He looked at Brokenstar, to make sure he was serious. He was.

"Do you know of the four forest clans?" Dragonpaw meowed.

Rusty shook his head and looked to Brokenstar. He flicked his tail, the kink at the end becoming more prominent for a moment.

"Dragonpaw, I trust you to explain the way we run things to Rusty. When you are done, return to camp. Rusty, I shall send some warriors to collect you at high noon tomorrow. Otherwise, do not enter the forest. This is not our territory, so we cannot promise your safety."

And with these words, the Shadowclan leader turned and disappeared into the trees. Dragonpaw stepped forward and grinned at Rusty, his earlier hostility forgotten. He sat and curled his tail around him, ready to explain. Rusty dropped into a similar position.

"In the forest, there are four clans: Shadowclan, Thunderclan,Windclan and Riverclan, each with their own territorys. Shadowclan and Thunderclan are the biggest clans, and they have been at each other's throats for generations. I swear, it'd only take a whisker for them to go to war. Windclan are allied to Thunderclan, but they are more like slaves to them. Riverclan say they have no alliances, but they would, and have sided with us in the past."

He checked to make sure that Rusty was getting what he was saying, and then paused for a moment, looking up at the sky. It was still very dark.

"In the clans, you have the leader, like Brokenstar, the deputy, who you'll probably meet tomorrow. He's quite nice, that one. Not my favorite cat, though. The warriors, and their apprentices. Basically, the warriors in training. I'm an apprentice, and there are a couple of others who you'll soon meet. You'll be made an apprentice, too."

Dragonpaw yawned widely.

"I think that's most of it. Oh well, see you tomorrow?" He purred.

Rusty thought for a moment. Really? Truly? Could he?

"Definitely" he meowed. "I'll be there."

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**Well? What do you think so far? Please let me know. Also, I noticed that there aren't many cats in Shadowclan, so I put some in. Next chapter will be up as soon a possible :)**

**-Shay x**

**I own Dragonpaw, by the way.**


	2. Journey to Shadowclan

**Welcome to the second chapter! I'm glad I got such a positive response to this story, it really made me happy :)**

**-Shay xx**

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Book 1, Chapter 2- Journey to Shadowclan.

After the excitement of the forest, Rusty felt disappointed to have to go back to the human's house for the night. The kitchen tiles were warm on his soft paw pads, even though the room had cooled down to a more comfortable temperature.

He stopped halfway across the floor, and padded over to the water bowl that sat on the mat near his bed. Looking at it for a moment, the ginger cat pounced, upturning it and sending the water running across the floor. He leapt out of the way, and quickly jumped up onto his slightly raised bed. Why did he do that anyway?

Rusty didn't sleep much that night. His head was too full of thought and questions, swirling round and round. Instead, he turned his attention to the wounds he'd received during his fight with Dragonpaw.

When Brokenstar had asked him to join Shadowclan, Rusty had been too surprised to feel the pain. Now, however, it was really starting to hurt. There was bruising on his shoulders, and a deep cut on his ribs. It was painful, but wasn't anything that would seriously affect him.

After checking himself over once more, he placed his head on his front paws and started to think. This was his dream come true, his one chance. Could he really do it, or would it just be too much? No, it was no use thinking about that now. He'd agreed, and that was that.

Feeling a sudden wave of defiance, Rusty sat up and started twisting round, trying to get at his collar. He bent double trying to bite it off, before realising that he could push it over his head with his back paws. It must have looked a little strange, like he was doing yoga, but it was worth it. The collar popped off over his head, and landed on the floor with a loud jingle.H-he'd done it! He didn't belong to anyone now...

And with this satisfied feeling, Rusty laid down, and slept.

* * *

The morning came far too slowly, with the hot sun rising in the now clear sky. The slight breeze whispered happily through the trees, making their leaves shake.

Rusty woke up a few hours after dawn. At first he remembered nothing of the night before, it as he sat up to wash himself, he found his bruises. After a few seconds of confusion, it all rushed back into his head and he let out a surprised yowl. Of course!

Rusty exited the house in the same way he did the night before, making a flying leap up to the counter then leaving through the window. Smudge was sat on the garden fence, washing his face with his tubby paws. He was unaware of the his friends presence, until Rusty reached the end of the garden and meyowed loudly. Smudge's fur bristled and he jumped down to see Rusty laughing at him.

"Don't _do_ that! You really scared me, Rusty!" He squeaked.

"I'm sorry! You just never see it coming though, do you? And anyway! I've got some really big news!"

"Ooh, what? What!?"

It took a good fifteen minutes for Rusty to retell the events of the night before to Smudge, and the look of shock on his face worried the ginger cat. Smudge lowered his head sadly, after the story had sunk in, and said-

"Is this goodbye, then?"

"No, I guess I still have half an hour before-"

"Rusty?"

The two cats turned in surprise, as a third voice chipped in to their conversation. It was deep and clear, like a river in the winter. A huge white cat, with black paws and ears was sat on the garden fence, looking down at them with big amber eyes.

Rusty nodded, thinking that this was the warrior that Brokenstar had sent to get him. The white cat jumped down from the fence with more agility than most cats his size have, and sauntered over to both cats. He completely ignored Smudge, obviously not seeing any threat or use for him.

"Hello, there. I am Blackfoot, Shadowclan deputy. I was sent to collect you, so if you are done here then we can leave straight away."

Rusty flicked his ears nervously, not use to the business like tone in the other cat's voice. He assumed it was because Smudge there, and turned to say a hasty goodbye to the his life long friend, before turning to the older deputy.

"I'm ready, Blackfoot."

Blackfoot motioned for Rusty to follow him with a flick of his tail, before easily scaling the fence and jumping over again. Smudge turned to Rusty.

"Be safe, and don't forget me... "

"I won't, Smudge, I won't."

And with that, Rusty leapt up and over the fence to join Blackfoot.

* * *

The two cats journeyed in silence for a while, as Blackfoot had already explained to Rusty that this was Thunderclan territory, and they needed to move over the border as fast as they could.

For the first five minutes, Rusty had no problem with keeping pace with the white deputy, but he soon slowed slightly. Blackfoot made no allowance for this, and kept going at full speed, so that Rusty was almost relived when they came to the Thunderpath.

It was a place he'd heard stories about, but never actually seen before. The change in scenery surprised the young cat, as he thought that the forest was just one big expanse of trees. But no, on the Thunderclan territory was lots of deciduous trees, while the Shadowclan side of the border was packed with pine trees.

Blackfoot took a few steps closer to the Thunderpath, but Rusty hung back a little. Blackfoot turned to him, a slight grin on his face.

"Don't worry, we don't have to cross it. There is a secret Shadowclan tunnel that goes underneath."

The tunnel seemed just as daunting as the road above, but Rusty pushed on, trying to imagine he was above ground and there _wasn't_ a tonne of rock waiting to crush him. It didn't work too well. The dirt on the walls and ceiling of the tunnel was sticking to Rusty's pelt, and it was hard to ignore. The space was so tight, that the two cats needed to stay in hunting crouch so they wouldn't get stuck. It amazed Rusty that a cat as big as Blackfoot could fit in the tunnel, but he was managing just fine.

On the other side of the tunnel, there were two cats waiting to greet them. The taller one was a earth coloured tabby tom with green eyes, and the smaller one was a white and grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes. When Blackfoot emerged from the tunnel (as he had gone first) they bowed their heads in a respectful greeting. Rusty, they greeted with warm smiles, and came over to meet him.

Blackfoot walked ahead, while they hung behind, one on each side of white she-cat was the first to greet him.

"Hi, you must be Rusty. I'm Icewing, and this is Forestpelt. We've just been made warriors, and our first mission was to come and get you!" She smiled warmly at him, her crystal blue eyes glittering.

"Yes, but we weren't allowed come into Thunderclan territory though. I would have liked to see where our enemies were hiding."

The three continued to chat a little, as they made their way deeper into the pine-y forest. Blackfoot made no effort to join in the conversation, even though he chuckled whenever a joke was made.

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**Well, there wasn't much story progression here, but oh well. I will update as soon as possible, so stay awesome.**

**And all you people who read and don't reveiw, I know what you're doing. Review, please!**

**Shout out to Blazingnyancat, Dark River of Thunderclan Camp, and featherstormx, for reviewing! Love you all!**

**-Shay xx**


	3. Meeting the Clan

**Welcome to the third chapter! ****  
**

**And dear anonymous reviewer, flickerflame, who's comment I have removed: No. I'm rather offended by what you said, but it's creative licence, y'know?**

**Anyways, let the story begin!**

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Book 1, chapter 3 - Meeting the Clan

The Shadowclan camp was a huge hollow, surrounded by thickets. There were brambles entwined with them, growing upwards to create a high wall. The ground was densely packed earth, with moss growing here and there. It was not the most beautiful of places, but had a mysterious charm to it.

Blackfoot went first through the thorny passage into the camp clearing, within Rusty, Icewing and Forestpelt following close behind. When they emerged into the sunlight, Rusty saw the clan cats going about their business. They soon realised he was not of their clan, and looked at him curiously.

Brokenstar padded over to greet them, his long coat flapping slightly as he walked.

"Ah, you're here. I was beginning to think that you'd gotten lost, Blackfoot. You never were good at directions..."

"Uh, Brokenstar?" Blackfoot chided, slightly embarrassed at his leader's portrayal of him. "Don't you need to inform the clan of Rusty's arrival?"

"Yes,yes. Of course. Icewing, Forestpelt, you may be dismissed."

The two cats bowed their heads and walked away, chatting as they went. Brokenstar motioned for Rusty to follow him, and started to walk away. As soon as they got out of hearing range, Brokenstar leant down and whispered something.

"Blackfoot is very bad at directions, though."

Rusty had to cough to cover his laughter, and the older cat winked at him. Now in front of the two cats was a huge round boulder, with a flat top. It was weathered by the sun and rain and had moss growing up the side of it. Brokenstar walked round the side, to reveal a sloped back.

The old cat climbed up, and Rusty followed. He was very nervous, but glad that he was here. Glad they he took his collar off, glad that he went into the forest, glad of everything. He was still deep in thought, when Brokenstar yowled loudly into the clearing.

"Let all those able, gather underneath the Boulderplace to hear what I have to say."

As the cats gathered, Rusty was glad to see Dragonpaw down below. The two cats held eye contact for a moment, and the black cat nodded encouragingly at him before walking over to join another group of cats. They all looked the same age, so Rusty assumed that they were the other apprentices.

"Blackfoot has brought back the cat that our medicine cat saw in his dream. He is the one from the prophecy, and he had agreed to join our clan as an apprentice."

There were murmers of approval from the cats below, all eyes now locked on Rusty.

"He has already proved his worth when he fought Dragonpaw, but he needs to be trained vigorously."

"But he's a Kittypet!" A voice from the cloud piped up, but was silenced by a chorus of angry yowls.

"He isn't anymore. From this day forward, until he receives a warrior name, Rusty shall be known as Firepaw, in honour of his flame colored pelt."

"Firepaw, Firepaw,Firepaw!" The crowd chanted.

At that moment, the newly named Firepaw felt something stir within him. This was where he belonged, where he'd waited his whole life to be. He was a Shadowclan cat now, and that was all that mattered.

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After Brokenstar had adressed a few other mattered, the meeting was ended. Various clan cats came to greet Rusty, but he was to excited to take much in. Dragonpaw ran over once they'd left, and tackled his new friend to the ground.

They rolled over and over, batting at each other with sheathed claws, until Rusty sprang up and ended the mock battle. He paused to shake the dust from his fur, and waited for Dragonpaw to do the same.

"What kind of greeting is that?!"

If Dragonpaw had eyebrows, he would have raised at leased one of them. Maybe both.

"_That _is a welcome-to-the-clan greeting, Dragonpaw style! Now come on, I need to introduce you to the other apprentices."

The two set of at a leisurely walk, until a tiny black kit barreled out of a nearby bush and right into Dragonpaw's leg. It looked around dazed for a second, before realising who she'd crashed into.

"Bro!" It squeaked.

"Tigerkit!" Dragonpaw meowed, laughingly.

He leant down to touch noses with the tiny kit. Who, Firepaw thought, looked a lot like him. They both had the same wide set noses, and large ears.

"What are you doing out of the nursery? Where's Dawncloud?"

Dawncloud was the only queen in Shadowclan, and she had the rather hard job of taking care of two sets of kits, plus Tigerkit. She was helped out by the medicine cat, Runningwind, when he wasn't busy.

Tigerkit continued to squeak at Dragonpaw. Firepaw couldn't understand a meow she was saying, but Dragonpaw was obviously use to it. The ginger cat _could_ make out some words though, like 'food', 'Dawncloud' and 'Bro', which he assumed, was her nickname for Dragonpaw.

The bush rustled a little more, and a pale ginger cat jumped out. She was covered in leaves and looked rather flustered. She looked around, and spotted the two cats and the kit.

"Tigerkit! Come back!"

"ESCAAAAAAAAAPE!"

The tiny kit bellowed this single word as loud as she could, before she bolted off in another direction. The gingery cat followed, her dainty paws going as fast as they could.

Firepaw and Dragonpaw stood in silence for a moment, before both cats burst out laughing.

"What the heck was that all about?!" Firepaw managed to wheeze through his fit.

"My little sister is a few moons older than the other kits, so she has to find other ways to amuse herself..."

A few cats walked past, looking at the two cats rolling around on the floor. They turned around and walked back the way they came.

* * *

The apprentice's den was in the middle of a thorny thicket. It was surprisingly warm and cozy in there, even tough there wasn't much light. The dollar was lined with scattered moss that the cats would sleep on, although it had been freshly done and lay untouched. Outside the den, there was a tiny wall of brambles to give the cats some privacy.

There were two cats sat there, sharing a rabbit. One was a beautiful tawny she-cat with light green eyes, and the other was a silver-grey Tom with blue eyes. He was Icewing's younger brother.

When Firepaw and Dragonpaw approached the den, the white cat stood up.

"You guys are just in time! Come eat with us!"

Dragonpaw leant over to Firepaw." That's Frostpaw and Poolpaw. They're the other apprentices here."

Poolpaw watched as the other cats laughed and jumped around. Sometimes it was really tiring being the only girl...

The apprentices continued to make a lot of noise well into the evening, and even shy Poolpaw joined in eventually. As the sun started to set, some of the warriors decided to shush them.

Galewind, Earthstream and Foxdream, each a mentor to one of the noisy cats, walked in to the space behind the bramble wall and spoke sternly.

"If you think you can stay up all night like this then you are sadly mistaken, young ones." Galewind began. "It is late, and Firepaw' s training begins tomorrow. I want him to be fully awake, as Brokenstar himself will be assessing him on what he already knows."

He looked sternly at Poolpaw, who was stifling a giggle. "And I thought you would know better. I trained you to be a little more mature than this."

"The same goes for you, Frostpaw. Don't disappoint me." Earthstream chipped in.

Both toms left, leaving only Foxdream to speak. Instead, she laughed.

"Don't let those weirdos get y'all down. They don't usually have furballs stuck that far up their butts. It's probably because the Thunderclan deputy was killed today, and that were a little on edge."

She turned and looked at each cat in turn, her brown eyes finally settling on Dragonpaw.

"by the way" she said." We'll be practicing tree-climbing tomorrow, so you won't see Firepaw' s assessment. It's okay though, you'll see him after."

With that, she too left, and the rest of the evening went smoothly. As Firepaw settled into his mossy nest between Frostpaw and Dragonpaw, he knew that tomorrow would be even better.

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**Hope you like this chapter! It had a bit more humor to it, as I wrote it while hyper off three cans of rockstar.**

**Shout out to featherstormx and Dark River of Thunderclan Camp for reviewing, and extra-special thanks to Creekfur for helping me out with some names. :)**

**-Shay xx**

**PS: when I wrote '_barreled_ out of a nearby bush' and 'Bro', all I could think of was Pewdiepie. XD**


	4. Unexpected Encounters

**Welcome to chapter 4! **

**These updates are coming pretty quickly, aren't they? Hah, I like it better this way than doing it once a week or something. So let's make a deal, ok? I update every two days, and you reveiw for me. **

**Sounds good. Now on with the story!**

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Book 1, Chapter 4 - Unexpected Encounters

"Firepaw!"

"Firepaw?!"

"FIREPAW!"

"WHAT?!"

"Training starts soon! You need to get up!"

"Oh, dangit!"

* * *

Brokenstar, Foxleap and another she-cat that Firepaw didn't recognize were waiting at the camp boundary when the two apprentices arrived. The new she-cat was a pretty calico with green eyes. She looked very intelligent, but still looked young.

"Firepaw, Dragonpaw. Thank you for joining us." Brokenstar said, a hint of amusement in his gravelly voice. "I would like to introduce you to Creekfur. Dragonpaw, you may have met her already."

Dragonpaw nodded respectfully.

"Once I have assessed you, Firepaw, she will take over as your mentor. We will hold the ceremony later, yes?"

Both apprentices nodded this time.

"Dragonpaw, you and Foxdream may leave. You have important training to do today."

Firepaw smiled warmly at Dragonpaw as he left. His friend was gone, making him a little more nervous than he usually would be in a situation like this. Even in such a short space of time, he'd begun to depend on Dragonpaw's company, an instinct of the Kittypet. An instinct he needed to get rid of.

"So, the assessment!" Brokenstar meowed, breaking Firepaw out of his thoughts. "Walk with me, and I'll explain on the way."

After leaving the camp, Brokenstar led the two cats following him on a different path to the one Firepaw took before. Creekfur seemed to know it well, as she padded gracefully along beside the clan leader.

The scenery was nothing if not beautiful; the cold start to the summer day had left a band of mist around the forest floor, and it swirled around Firepaw's ankles as he walked. The pine trees left a strong resin-y smell in the air, and the pine needles prickled under all the cat's feet.

The three walked in silence for a while, until Firepaw was beginning to get tired. He was about to mention it when Brokenstar stopped.

"Firepaw." he said. "Do you know where we are?"

Surprised at this sudden, but seemingly serious question, Firepaw hesitated to answer. He looked around, smelled the air and strained his ears. Nothing.

"No, i don't think so..."

"Good! Your challenge is to find your way back to and I will be observing you. You won't see us though."

Firepaw stood for a moment. This was his assessment? It seemed easy enough, all he had to do was follow their scent trail home.

"And," Creekfur added, seemingly thinking the same thing as her ginger apprentice."You can't follow our tracks home. The mist will have erased them by now, and you aren't trained well enough to be able to break through the mist."

"Good luck, young one." Brokenstar concluded the conversation, and he and Creekfur both walked off in separate directions.

Firepaw waited unroll he couldn't sense their presence any more, before turning round. He needed to go about this logically, otherwise it wouldn't end well for him. He looked up at the sky, to see the sun poking through the clouds.

Thinking for a moment, he realised that he'd been led deliberately round in circles. This made things much harder, but Firepaw had been well educated as a Kittypet. The sun rises in the east, and he knew that because of the way he saw the sun in the camp, he could travel westward to get back home.

Firepaw set off at a run, keen to get back to camp as quickly as possible. This would impress the warriors, let them know he wasn't just a Kittypet, that he was the cat from the omen that Brokenstar had mentioned.

But luck was not in his favor today. The trees got thicker and thicker, until he could no longer tell which direction he was going in. The forest here was covered in a weird half-light. It made Firepaw shudder, but he pressed on anyway.

It's very hard to keep going straight in the forest, as Firepaw was finding out. He'd stopped running a while back, but was still trying to keep a fast walk up. He jumped fallen logs, ran through ditches and waded through a small stream. After the stream, he realised that he was now very, very lost.

Fighting to keep calm, Firepaw streched his senses out as far as he could, desperate to find even a trace that could lead him home. He thought about calling to Brokenstar or Creekfur, but didn't. He was not going to give up, and knowing that the first wasn't endless, he kept going.

* * *

It seemed like an age until Firepaw came across a change of scenery. There was no warning, but out of nowhere an awful smell of tar and smoke hit him. He recognised it though. It was the Thunderpath, only it wasn't the place where the tunnel was.

Creeping closer to the edge of the trees, Firepaw slid into the hunter' s crouch. He didn't know why, but there was something telling him to keep down.

Then out of nowhere, he saw movement.

It was on the other side of the Thunderpath, in Thunderclan territory. This probably made them Thunderclan cats, then. There was a huge tiger-like tabby tom, a smaller golden tom, a black cat about his age, and a very small grey cat. That were looking out into Shadowclan territory.

If it wasn't for the scent of the cat, Firepaw would have jumped a mile. Creekfur had appeared next to him, and ambushed him gently.

"They cannot see us, young one. Don't worry."

Firepaw decided that it wouldn't be wise to interrupt the cat, so he let her speak.

"Brokenstar sensed them long before you got here, and he went back to camp to get reinforcements. This area all be much more heavily patrolled now."

Again, Firepaw nearly jumped as some more cats appeared behind him, all in hunter' s crouch. Brokenstar whispered some instructions, and all the cats stood up at the same time. The Thunderclan cats froze in their place, before the golden tom gave the order for them to retreat.

Nobody said anything for a moment, until Brokenstar gave the order for them to return to camp. Firepaw was about to say something, when Blackfoot silenced him.

"Don't. You've already proven yourself, so let's go home. You must be hungry by now; no breakfast, right?"

Firepaw nodded, and followed behind. Blackfoot had arrived with Brokenstar, along with Icewing, Forestpelt and another cat who's name he did not know.

Who were those cats? Why were they looking at them like that?

* * *

**Mmm, a little shorter than usual, but I'm going to the cinema tonight. You can probably guess who those cats were though. :P**

**-$hay xxx**

**PS: I'll try to update tomorrow, so I don't have to on Christmas day. This is kinda contradictory to our deal, but how bouts we start the deal in the next chapter ;)**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	5. Half a Chapter

**Welcome to chapter 5.5! **

**This chapter was a little harder to write. I had to re-do it like three times, because it just wasn't coming out right. **

**Also, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. I'm not used to having only one day to write them, so I'll just say that this is a half chapter, and the next one will be up the day after Christmas.**

* * *

Book 1, Chapter 5 -

By the time Firepaw and company got back to the Shadowclan camp, it was nearly evening. The fine mist that hung round the camp at night was just beginning to gather, leaving a dewy, pine-y smell where it lay.

After all the commotion with the Thunderclan warriors, Brokenstar decided to leave the mentor ceremony to the next day. He thought it would be better than rushing it, because that would stress everyone out.

As soon as Firepaw got through the entrance tunnel, he was tackled to the floor by Dragonpaw. It wasn't a friendly greeting this time though, as the black cat looked really worried.

"Hey, what happened?" He mewed while clambering off of the ginger cat's back." I heard you saw some Thunderclan scum."

Firepaw got to his feet, and shook his fur back into place before answering.

"Yeah, they were stood on the other side of the Thunderpath,looking over at our territory. We scared them away though..."

"Oh good!" The black cat sighed with relief. "Come with me to tell my sister? She started panicking when Brokenstar arrived at camp for reinforcements."

"Sure, sure."

* * *

The nursery was really warm, and smelled like moss. It was strangely comforting, and made Firepaw feel at ease with the worries of the day.

Dawncloud, the she cat who had been chasing Tigerkit the day before, was curled up in the middle of the nest. She was surrounded by tiny balls of fluff, some white, some a gingery-brown. A little way off, Tigerkit was laid with all her legs splayed out in different directions.

Firepaw waited at the entrance as Dragonpaw woke up his sister.

"Hey, scuse me a sec?"

The ginger cat jumped slightly at a female voice behind him. He moved out of the way, and looked to see the owner of the voice.

It was a white she-cat with ginger paws, ears and tail. She had. Dark blue eyes, and three s ars down her left side. Firepaw gasped when he saw them.

"It's the scars, huh?"

"Um... yeah. I'm really sorry if I offended you."

"It's fine. Tigerclaw of Thunderclan did this to me. Now you'll have to excuse me, I need to speak to Dawncloud."

Firepaw stood and looked at the floor for a moment. He felt so awkward. He'd never even asked the cat's name, just oogled at her scars...

"Firepaw? Let's go, I've told Tigerkit."

"Oh.. yeah!"

* * *

**Merry Christmas. I hope you all get what you wanted and go to church and eat lots of food and stuff.**

**-$hay**

**PS: it's a bit rushed too. Sorry.**


	6. Brokenstar's Temper

**Please don't throw things at me! I was in scotland for a while, in the middle of nowhere. I'll try to make up for it in this chapter, so on with the story.**

**Also, I don't know much about the shadowclan territory, so I'm kinda re-inventing it as I go. :/**

**One final and VERY IMPORTANT thing. I'm thinking of taking this story a little more AU, and creating something all new! tell me what you think about that?!**

* * *

Book 1, Chapter 6 - Brokenstar' s Temper

The next day promised to be full of sunshine. There would be mist, as usual, but everyone was used to it.

The Shadowclan training was a lot different to anything else in the forest. Other clans thought self defense and protective offense, while Shadowclan trained killers. Firepaw was taught how to single out the weakest enemy from a crowd, hit vital points in the body, how to appear seemingly from nowhere, and above all, how to never show an opponent his fear.

He was brought up to apprentice standards, and surpassed them. But Firepaw was still the same friendly cat he'd always been. _All_ Shadowclan cats were. But they still didn't play nice with other clans, coming across as the undefeatable cats of the shadows...

(_was this relevant? Nevermind...)_

* * *

The morning sun dappled the first floor with patches of light, as Firepaw and Dragonpaw made their way to the only river on shadowclan territory. It was deep and clear, flowing slowly through the trees. Firepaw had been here to gather prey many times before, but this was his first time going with another cat.

The two walked in silence, their pawsteps quiet to not scare any prey away. Time had passed, and Firepaw had grown taller. Dragonpaw had too, but was still very short.'It runs in the family' He'd say.

When they reached the river, both cats split up to hunt. Firepaw nodded to Dragonpaw, both cats silent to not scare their prey. The ginger cat flexed his claws, and propelled away into the rushes next to the river, while the black and silver cat went into the nearby pine trees.

Soon both cats were busy with their work, their claws stained slightly with blood. Firepaw was having an especially good day; The prey was literally falling into his claws. All of a sudden, though, he smelt something strange. It was a catscent, but not one he recognised.

Dragonpaw seemed to sense it too, as he appeared behind his friend. Nither cat spoke until the cat had moved out of their range. It'd left the territory, and it was moving fast. Desperately, even.

"Well that was strange..." Dragonpaw meowed, his voice low.

"Y'know, I think we've done enough today. Let's head back." Firepaw replied. His natural instinct was to chase after the intruder, but as it had left their territory, they'd have to report it to Brokenstar.

* * *

The clan leader's den was a low cave behind the Boulderplace. It was dark and smelled like old ash, but it welcoming enough.

When the two cats arrived, their leader beckoned them in through the bracken covered entrance. The leaves hung low enough to just touch their ears as they did.

"Hello, young ones. Is everything ok?"

Firepaw and Dragonpaw exchanged worried looks. Dragonpaw was the shyer of the two, so it was Firepaw who spoke up first.

"Actually, we scented another cat in the territory near the river while we were out hunting this morning. It crossed the boundary into other territory's, so we thought it would be better to tell you than to go after it ourselves."

Brokenstar looked away for a moment, some unreadable emotion in his eyes. His fur bristled slightly, and Firepaw realised that this was the first time he'd seen Brokenstar, well, a moment of thought, the clan leader turned back to the two apprentices in front of him.

"That's... unusual. I will have more patrols sent out from now on, but say nothing to any other cats. I don't want them to worry."

"Can we not even tell the other apprentices? I'm sure they'll want to kno-"

"NOTHING! Not a word!"

Firepaw and Dragonpaw exchanged another worried look between them. Firepaw began to shift uncomfortably on his paws, not use to this sudden outburst from his leader.

"You may leave now, but still, not a word. Dragonpaw, notify your sister that she is to be made an apprentice soon."

And with that, Brokenstar pushed past the two cats, out of his den and into the sunlight. The ferns parted as he went, and a little cloud of sand was at his heels. Nither cat said a word for a moment.

"Well, that was a little... unexpected." Firepaw said, his voice flat.

"Tigerkit can't be made an apprentice! She isn't even four moons old!" Dragonpaw spoke quietly, almost to himself.

"Maybe he thinks that she's ready?"

"It's unlikely... Tigerkit can't even speak properly when she's excited, you've heard her."

Firepaw nodded. It wasn't a gesture of agreement, but more a movement that showed he was giving in. "You should go tell her, then. I'll be near the den." Firepaw said to his friend as he began to walk away. The ferns brushed his head as he went.

* * *

Firepaw had his head down as he walked, watching his paws move. The way Brokenstar had reacted worried him, and he was wondering if it was just a one time thing, from the stress of looking after a clan. He remembered in his old home, that the older male twoleg had looked after all the other two legs, and got angry at them quite often. But he didn't need to remember that. He wasn't a house cat anymore.

Wondering if be should ask some of the other clan cats about Brokenstar' s temper, Firepaw raised his head. Just in time to crash into someone.

"You ok?"

The voice was familiar. It was the cat from yesterday! He could find out her name now, and ask her about Brokenstar. It was good timing and -

"Hello? Are you ok?" The white and ginger cat spoke again.

"Yes, i'm fine. Sorry."

It's fine, and not just that. You look a little troubled."

"Actually, I was wondering if I could speak to you..."

* * *

Hah, it's short. But not as short as the last one! (Speaking of the last one, I'll fix the mistakes in it soon, and possibly make it longer.) The cat's name is Emberstrike, by the way, and she's not mine.

-$hay xx


End file.
